For the second time in roughly a week, a business on the Wimberley Square will be closed indefinitely due to a fire.
The Chick-a-Dee antique store in downtown Wimberley suffered damage following a fire on the morning of June 7.
While only the front of the business sustained fire damage, the entire building had smoke and water damage.
The fire started just after 8 a.m. on June 7. When firefighters arrived, they discovered fire in an interior wall and were able to put it out within 30 minutes. The store was closed at the time.
While the owners were in the process of closing and selling the business, Chick-a-Dee posted on Facebook that same morning that the store would be closed indefinitely.
“We were very much looking forward to staying open until a sale took place, visiting and laughing with all of you more,” the post read. “We are very sad our endeavor has ended like this. We loved every minute of it. Thank you for your business and friendship over the years. We are grateful.”
The Hays County Fire Marshal’s office determined the cause of the fire was accidental.
According to the statement, an incident with the exterior power line caused a disruption which resulted in the fire. A large storage pod being moved clipped an electrical wire, causing fluctuations at several nearby businesses.
“The ground neutral wire from the power line to the Chick-A-Dee store was pulled loose and the resulting electrical surge had nowhere to go but that building, causing the fire,” said Hays County Fire Marshal Clint Browning.
This incident occurred only a week after a separate and unrelated fire completely destroyed in the interior of the Cypress Creek Café in downtown Wimberley.
Browning said the fire at the Cypress Creek Café on May 30 was ruled accidental. The fire started in the kitchen of the café, he said in a statement.
“There is no evidence of arson or other cause,” Browning said. He added the two owner-residents of the Cypress Creek Café were “lucky” to get out in time.
The building is considered to be a total loss with damage estimated at $750,000.
The community is gathering to support the owners and employees of Cypress Creek Café with a GoFundMe page and a benefit concert. Local businesses are also interviewing former café employees who lost their jobs to possibly employ them.
